The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) provides that an alien or lawful permanent resident (LPR) is deportable if he/she is convicted of a crime of moral turpitude, and other conditions set forth in INA Sec. 237(a)(2)(A)(i) are met. Wes Wade of the Daily Times has an article today about Maryville, Tennessee, LPR Samuel John Phillip Lloyd, who is facing deportation for the ominously named "crimes of moral turpitude."
Lloyd is a British national and also an LPR of the United States. According to the article, Sheriff's Office records show that Lloyd has received more than 40 criminal charges, ranging from theft to aggravated burglary, to which Lloyd pled guilty in 2010. This aggravated burglary charge is a class C felony, and this charge apparently attracted the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who have initiated deportation proceedings against Lloyd. Lloyd is currently being held in the Oakdale, Louisiana federal detention facility, awaiting to appear before an Immigration Judge to determine whether Lloyd will be deported.
To be deportable under INA Sec. 237(a)(2)(A)(i), a person must be (1) convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, (2) which was committed within 5 years of admission to the U.S. (unless entry was via an S Visa), and (3) the conviction must be for a crime in which a sentence of one year or longer may be imposed. For this last requirement, the actual sentence imposed may be less than 1 year, but the statute only requires that the offense carry a potential sentence of 1 year or longer.
